The instructions “Decide what to be, then be that,” like many adages, is an oversimplifications of profound truth. The adage does not say “hope what to be” or “want to be,”, it says decide. Hoping, wanting, intending, wishing…none of these really have a lot of power to change much. It is when we make a firm decision, when there is a clear yes and a clear no, when there is no wishy-washyness, but a solid determination – only then can we we that which we desire, because desire isn’t enough on it’s own. When we decide we are making a choice between one or more options. When we decide, we put all other options than the one we’ve chosen in the past, so that the only option becomes the one we have decided upon. The adage, then, becomes a bit redundant because once we make a decision what to be, we will inevitably be that because it is decided already.

There are corollary adages “fake it till you make it” and “act as if” – which both speak to the power of stepping into a reality that is not yet cemented. But it is stepping into the reality that creates the reality itself. There is a documentary I highly recommend that shows this process called “Kumare” in which an American of Indian descent decides to become a guru in order to get across the message that we are all our own gurus. He let his hair grow long, spoke with an accent, put on the robes, practiced yoga and meditation, and even made up poses and meditations for his followers. And after awhile, he became the guru. While I have an ethical issue with the use of deception to teach a principle, the learning from this is that Vikram Kumar Ghandi made a decision to be the guru, then he became the guru in a more real sense than even he’d anticipated. He decided. He became.

When I want something – like losing that 10 lbs I’ve been dragging around with me for the last two years or writing the book I’ve been talking about for the last year – when I want that but am not accomplishing it, it is a clear indicator that I have not yet decided. I do not have a clear yes or a clear no. It is only when I have decided that the thing I desire will actually come to fruition. So if I want to be an author, I have to decide to be that. If I want to be fit, I must decide to be that. If I want to be more forgiving, loving, mindful, ethical – I must make a choice.

May we all know the power of choice. May we follow our hearts’ desires and decide to be our best selves. May who we become be in service to our greater good and the good of those we come in contact with.

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